Education of our Peers
by Emmeline Rose
Summary: The Cullen family, including Bella, have been nominated to become student teachers. When Jasper teaches History and Edward is the school Phsycologist, all hell breaks loose. What will happen when vampires take over the school?
1. Beginning of the End of Dignity

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. I just put them in these situations.

Education of our Peers

Chapter 1- The End of Dignity

It had to have been the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to ever happen in the history of the Cullen family, myself included. To my utter disappointment, my photographic memory would never allow me to shake those images from my head. Cringing as some of those scenarios we had been forced into replayed themselves in my mind, warm, silky flesh wrapped around my arms.

"It isn't that bad, right? I mean, one day you will..." The voice of my love was soothing and soft as it trailed off.

"Forget? I wish." I snorted and scoffed, then curved myself to allow her to fit into my embrace. She curled up her legs and leaned into my chest as we sat on the black leather couch in my room. Her arms held tightly onto my neck, and her head rested on my shoulder. The chocolate brown eyes that warmed my soul stared wistfully into mine, her soft lips curving into a smile. I lay my head gently above hers, careful not to allow my weight to press onto her, and inhaled deeply. Her strawberry shampoo mixed wonderfully with her freesia-scented blood that raced to her cheeks. Her heart rate fluttered rapidly, her breaths became more frequent until they stopped all together.

"Breathe, Bella." I reminded, then began placing feathery kisses on her head. For a reason that I was not aware of, her fragile body began to shake with laughter than she desperately tried to stifle. Leaning my head away to look at her, confusion entered my expression. "Love?"

"Sorry. It's nothing...really." I knew she was lying, and this was one of the many times that I wished her mind was accessible to me, but I knew how to persuade. This time, as realization struck, it was of no use, for I figured it out all on my own.

"You are thinking about it, aren't you." It was not a question, merely a confirmation.

"No." She began to clutch her stomach as she broke into hysterics.

"You are an awful liar. You don't have to be a mind reader to know that." Bella scowled, and knew I was right.

"But you can't read my mind." Her lips pouted, and her eyes widened.

"I am aware of that. But I can read your face." Laughter overcame her once more, and I slid out from under her and fiddled around my CD player.

"Sorry, Edward, but you should have seen your face..."

"I have, in four different perspectives, thank you very much. Now please love, can we try to take our minds off of it?" I pushed the play button, and raised Bella into the air, and then onto my feet. Without a word between us, I held her close to my chest, my hand on her back and the other clasped around hers as we swayed. My feet followed the pattern of steps with ease, not affected whatsoever to the decades that separated today from the day that I had learned them. The music filled the room, filling every corner with the sounds from the time when I had celebrated my fortieth year. I closed my eyes, and whispered into her ear. "I love you."

"I love you." She replied in her honey-voice, twisting my lips into a smile. We danced cheek to cheek, and no other thoughts nor memories, nor thoughts of those around me could invade the moment we shared. This was the only reality, the only reason for my existance. Supporting her back with my arm, I allowed gravity to ease Bella backwards as I dipped her toward the floor.

Her hair draped over the floor as she laughed, her smile evident from the surprise. As I pulled her back toward me, her laughter only increased into a rumble that shook her until tears seeped out of her eyes. This reaction was not from the dip. I released her and sat back on the couch.

"I ruined the moment, didn't?" Bella admitted while trying to control her laughter.

"At least there is some shred of hope that one day you may forget this, even if I cannot."

"I'm sorry, Edward. It wasn't your fault, you know that."

"I know. I guess time heals all wounds, I just wish that could apply to me." She put her hands on mine and knelt beside me.

"It does. Just because you can't get hurt does not mean that it can't work for emotional wounds." I brought her lips to mine, and kissed her with all the tenderness I could muster.

"Hey Edward, er, Bella...sorry to interrupt, but..."

"Get out Emmett."

"What? It's not like you guys are gonna do anything..." I lept from the couch and slammed into my brother. While he claimed to be stronger, everyone in my family knew I was the fastest. I punched him repeatedly, and even considered biting him. Instead, I settled for clawing his shirt to shreds with my hands. "Edward, I am a married man..." He did not know when enough was enough. Snarling from deep inside my chest, the only force that could keep me from attacking him held me back.

"Enough, boys." The calm, stern voice of my mother soothed my anger, temporarily at least. "Now, we all have something to be ashamed of, and I will not stand for fighting or so help me you will be existing on squirrels for a year."

"My apologies, Esme."

"Sorry Mom."

I walked back into my room and darted to Bella's side. I exhaled deeply, and felt my rage dwindle.

"How did we get stuck into this situation?" I asked rhetorically.

"We weren't stuck into it, we were assigned to it. We had to." Her compassion comforted me a little, but not nearly as much as it needed to. I sank into the couch, and thought about that first day that would haunt me forever. Forever is a very long time, and it would be even longer with the fuel my siblings needed to burn me, figuratively of course.

It was raining as usual, the drop pounding on the roof of the gym. Bella and my siblings all congregated on a section of the bleachers, separating ourselves subtly from the rest of the student body. Hundreds of heartbeats filled the gym, along with varied breaths. I searched for a mind that was aware of the subject of the meeting, but found none. Alice had known, of course, and successfully kept the secret from me. No matter how I persuaded or distracted, she knew my intentions before I even did, and was therefore impenetrable. The rest of my family was not privileged to the information either, and were truthfully questioning the meaning as I was, and as the rest of the students were.

I searched the area for the nearest teacher, but all that I heard were repeats of questions wondering why the principal was the only staff member who knew the purpose. The microphone was clicked on, and the chatter dimmed to whispers, then to silence. The principal walked behind the podium, and I concentrated on his inner monologue.

_These students are not going to be happy about this, it will be a great opportunity though. Hmm, I wonder what my wife packed me for lunch, I hope it is a turkey sandwich..._

I became bored instantly, and knew that there was nothing I could do about the scenario we were about to be presented with. The principal tapped on the microphone, shattering our ears with the metallic shriek. Groans filled the gym, and he began to speak.

"Good morning students. Today, we have a new assignment for you. Every grade will nominate five students, and I will choose three of those five to participate. Before I tell you the subject, I must say that everyone who is not included in the three will be writing an essay on how effective those three were." I tried to comprehend the meaning in his words, and searching his thoughts for any information of importance, only to find none. I sat back, frustrated, as Bella put her hand on mine. We smiled at each other for a moment, and she focused her attention back to the man behind the podium.

"You will be nominating five people in your grade to become student teachers for your classes! And you will be writing reports on their effectiveness." Moans filled the space, dread now existing in all of the students. Jasper sat in front of me, and began to knot his fingers in his hair as he did when emotions became overwhelming.

"Are you alright, Jasper?" I whispered low enough for him only to hear.

"These kids have anger issues." He whispered back. He was not wrong; the minds of the students raced from stressful thoughts of numerous other projects to fantasies of murdering the Principal in violent scenes. The students here had problems, that was not debatable.

We were handed ballots, and we scribbled down names of various students to torture. My fingers scrawled down the names Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley, Eric Yorkie, Tyler Crowley, and Lauren Mallory. Those were certainly deserving. Curiosity overwhelmed me. Who else was being nominated?

_Don't flip out, Edward._ Alice directed her thoughts toward me. I looked at her, and a faint smile creased her face. Someone so small should not be able to fit in so much evil. Concentrating on the thoughts around me, my eyed widened in horror. _Hmm, maybe the perfect Cullens should, they are straight A students...Edward Cullen, Alice Cullen, the Hales for sure, maybe even the big one...Those freaky-ass Cullens need a little dose of humiliation...I hope Rosalie will teach my class-hott!...Newton, and Hale for sure, maybe the rest of them too...Swan, yes, definitely Swan, her boyfriend too...Swan, Cullen, Cullen, Newton, Hale..._

"We're in for it." I whispered to Bella.

"We?" She asked, terrified. I nodded, and she blushed furiously. Of course, my family had heard about it, and had began to glare around the room, trying to intimidate the students into erasing our names, but it only made it worse. _What's their problem? Maybe they need a dose of their own medicine..._

"Stop it." I snarled in hushed tones. We were filled in on the details as they counted the three hundred ballots. The students selected were allowed to choose a subject based on personal preference within reason, and as long as they were not already taken. I did not bother to pay attention to the essay specifics, for I was arrogant in belief that I would not need to know them. Unfortunately, I was proven right.

Alice allowed me to look into her vision, and frowned at my reaction. _They picked me, you and Bella for the Junior class. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper were picked for the Senior class. Ironic, isn't it?_

I growled within my chest, and told Bella quietly the results.

"I can't teach! I can't do this! Can't I just fail?"

"No, love. You would be held back, even with your A's. No time for regrets, it is best to start thinking about the subject. Besides, if I get bored while you sleep, I may have to do some of the work for you, just to keep myself occupied..."

"I love you." She leaned her head against me, and her breaths became normal once again.

Bella had taken her truck home, and as I brought my family back to the house by the river, we complained without end.

"Hey Edward, if Bella doesn't take you up on your offer, feel free to do my work."

"Shut up Emmett."

"What the hell am I supposed to teach?" Rosalie said as she played with her hair.

"Beats me." She scowled at me with that comment. It was worth it. I dropped them off, and circled back to bring Bella over. Once inside my car, I sped off while she grimaced at the speedometer. Once we arrived at my house, I nearly carried her light body into the living room, and set her on the couch.

"Bella, long time no see." Emmett joked. Esme and Carlisle sat with us, and we informed them of our assignment.

"That sounds interesting. What are you going to teach?" Esme asked. I had not given much thought to it to be honest, and neither had my siblings. Suddenly, an idea came to mind, and Alice nodded her head in approval.

"Guidance counselor." I announced with a smirk. Trying to get students to talk about their problems would not be hard for me as it would be for others.

"I guess I could teach cooking." My love said with a sigh.

"Home ec." Rosalie said with a groan, for that was all that she was talented in, sewing and cleaning, in her human life and now.

"Gym teacher." Emmett said with his arms folded across his bulky chest, wearing an evil grin.

"Economics, the study of predicting changes and patterns in the stock market and economy." Alice chimed.

"U.S. History." Jasper grinned in the corner. That was the grim beginning of the end of their dignity and mine. This was going to be one long week. For once, we not only had to care, but were being graded based on our effectiveness at educating our peers. It was going to be brutal, and there was no way of stopping it, no matter what Alice came up with. Well, the student body had chosen the Cullens, and we had chosen to make them regret it.


	2. Chaos Before the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. Seriously.

Education of our Peers

Chapter 2- Chaos before the Storm

It was the Friday morning before the week that my family and myself would be forced to become student teachers. While we dreaded every moment that passed, pulling us closer to the week that would surely be the longest we would overcome, should we overcome it at all, we busied ourselves day and night with the task of preparing material to teach, lectures to make, and homework to assign. Though the idea of assigning homework to our already hateful students to whom we would be assigned today, it was required, and there was no escaping it or loopholes. There were specific regulations regarding the length and content of these assignments, and having studied law briefly at one time or another, I knew these rules were iron-clad, and had been rung free from loopholes.

Despite the fact that we had chosen our own specialities in which to teach, some of us including myself, particularly the subjects we were gifted in since the time after we had been human, it still worried us greatly about the task at hand. My temper was one of the issues that the others thought about, worrying that the disobedience or rudeness of the underclassmen would ignite the flame of fury, but I did my best to convince them that if I or Alice foresaw any complications that I would withdraw myself from the situation for the better of my family. It was not as if my grades were crucial to my future, for some of the most prominent schools my teachers suggest I apply to next year when I become a senior, I had already attended.

Jasper was no help in our anxiety either. He would forget himself, and unwillingly release all the stress building up within him into the atmosphere around us, creating a frenzy. This was one of those times.

We were clustered around the living room, with the TV on at a low volume so as not to disturb Bella in her homework that she insisted she do herself, ignoring the football game that Emmett was glued to. He had been the one lucky person who had no need to assign homework, and hardly even had to schedule a lesson plan due to the strict guidelines involved with Gym class. He had joyfully been lazing around the last few days while we scribbled through the night, trying to assemble a schedule that even remotely resembles an actual class. In all of our combined studies, not one of us had made the effort to become a teacher. After reading the lessons of my sibling and myself included, it was for the best we had mostly attended medical school instead.

Rosalie's first idea was to spend an entire day about the different sorts of thread, and not even start threading the sewing machine until Thursday, but suggesting a hastier schedule, she had landed on sewing the first day, and teaching about the different threads and stitches throughout the week in their homework. I could not picture Rosalie patient enough to handle teaching and keeping an entire class of Freshmen under control, and that was what made me eager to see her crash and burn...so to speak.

While she re-wrote her plans, Alice was gazing into the near future, testing the different results of various lectures and notes, only to find no promising outcome of anything less than chaos or even a riot. I had been sitting with Bella, watching her pen slowly leak ink onto her paper in her handwriting, being scratched out or had a star scratched on the side of an idea that she thought was reasonable. I had stopped trying to persuade her to allow me to complete it for her, even in her own ideas for I could write much faster, for she refused every time. I had thought about stooping so low as to try to 'dazzle her,' as she once called it, but decided that wasn't fair, or completely necessary.

Jasper had his hands trembling in his lap, not eagerly awaiting the week he would have to spend with a bunch of humans with racing pulses and warm blood, all crowded in one room, angering him with disrespect or mocking him behind his back. Though normally I would call him paranoid and unreasonable, I could not deny, especially to him, that my worries had not originated from the same ideas. Carlisle and Esme sat with us, utterly relaxed as if Jasper was functioning normally. It was not often that I was envious of anyone, but this was one of those rare occasions when the serentiy surrounding my parents made me ache for the same.

We were occupying ourselves with these tasks of toil or pleasure, when my dear brother lost his control. Waves of frustration, anger, and anxiety crashed over us, sending us into a frenzy. The first emotion to leak from his hold was that of rage. Esme smacked Carlisle on the side of the face, who then stepped on her foot. They never did get angry, and for them they may as well have been signing divorce papers. Rosalie gritted her sparkling teeth and her fingers grazed through her papers on which she had spent hours on, creating a mass of confetti in a matter of milli-seconds. When the announcer on the TV had spoken words relating to the score, making us aware that his team was now losing terribly, a large, granite fist broke through the monitor, and pulled back from the sparks without releasing his grip from essential wires and cables from within.

Alice did something very strange; her teeth locked on the side of the couch she sat on, and shook it side to side like a dog would with a bone, skinning it o it's fabric, liberating the cushioning material from within, which she too, then tore with her mouth. Rain of fibers and dust poured onto the floor with these actions, leaving no bit of floor clean. Bella threw down her papers, and began screaming at me about the immoral idea I had presented about doing her work for her, to which I yelled back.

"What the hell are you thinking, doing my work for me, huh? Am I not good enough to do it on my own, therefore making it absolutely necessary that you do it? I am surprised at how stupid you think I am!"

"Whenever I try to do something nice for you, you always think I am undermining you! Can't you just ever accept a gift for what it is, and not question the meaning behind it?"

Esme had stormed down the hallway, and I heard her break Carlisle's stethoscope with her fingers, prompting Carlisle to tug her hair. Emmett continued to snarl at the TV, creating his own confetti that mixed with Alice's, which was being added to with the chair opposite her. When Esme began to scream at the two for messing up the house she spent the afternoon cleaning, Jasper realized his mistake and tried to correct it. A wave of calm sedated us, making us motionless in our stances. Emmett began to laugh at the metallic shreds below him, his booming laughter echoing through the house.

My mother and father slouched their shoulders, and smiled like two drunks. Their head rolled, and they fell back onto the couch, shattering one of the springs, making their entire bodies tilt from side to side. Alice had began to make snow angels in the shredded couch, and Bella had collapsed into a deep sleep in my arms. It was when she began to talk in her sleep that I carried her up the stairs, and laid her on the leather couch in my room. In the second it had taken me in both trips upstairs and down, they began to lazily ask Jasper to control himself.

The atmosphere returned to normal, at least, as normal as can be for a family of vampires who consider themselves to be vegetarian who have befriended both werewolves and humans. Apologies rang through the room while Alice and Esme began to sweep up the mess, as Emmett had done after they forced him to.

Bella wandered down the stairs sleepily, confused, while shaking her hair with her ivory fingers.

"Edward? Do you mind telling me how I managed to fall asleep in the middle of the day after drinking a cup of coffee?" I smiled, and reached for her hand.

"Jasper."

"Ah." She understood without needing any further explanation. She sat back down at her place, blushing at the easiness of her falling asleep. I brought my finger to her cheek, and felt goosebumps form beneath it, sending even more blood rushing to her face, making her temperature even warmer than before.

With the room cleaned and our minds restored, we continued with the actions we had made before. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper start to fidget, an uncommon motion for vampires, and it was then that I knew his students may very well be the clients I would be presented with as the school psychologist in training. At least I would know how to treat them, instead of making it worse as I knew that I would be tempted to do.

I knew very little about the future, as did Alice, for too many decisions and minds were involved for a clear picture to be painted, but there was one thing that I knew for sure, and it was brought on only by intuition, not any special gift. This was going to be the worst week in history for my family or our students, and possibly both, and that though we would pray that we could, we would never be able to wring the memories from our minds.

Emmett entered back into the house after disposing of what had once been furniture and a television set, with a look of boredom on his face. For someone like Emmett who could not boast of a long attention-span, this was not something my family and myself were too keen on seeing.

"We really need to do something before I begin to ferment. How about a game of, oh I don't know..."

"Absolutely not." I answered, hearing in his head the idea that would surely torment us all.

"Lighten up, Edward. You didn't even let me ask the rest of them..."

"Well, you may count Bella and I out of it."

"Out of what?" My love inquired.

"Thank you, Emmett, for that."

"For what?" A grin crept up his face, erasing any trace of innocence he had plastered on, not that I could not see--or hear-- through it.

"What is he talking about, Edward? It sounds like fun." Bella looked at me with pleading eyes, and I knew that if it were not me to tell her it would be some other traitor in this house. Alice envisioned the future, as I decided I would tell her, and if I would not. In either scenario, the outcome was the same. She would decide against my judgement to play truth or dare with a group of vampires.

I looked down at my hands in defeat, and Bella knew not of the prize she had attained, but she knew she had won. The rest of the room was silent, for only the three of us knew the event that was about to take place. Esme and Carlisle made the wise decision in vacating the premises before they found out. If only I had been so clever, for I could easily have lured my precious human away with the promise of a song from my piano or visit to the meadow. Oh well, what is done is done and all that remained was to try my hardest to avoid complete humiliation, or at least evidence of the situation that would make it so.

"Eh-hem, if you do not mind, would you please inform us outsiders of the game in which you are in refrence to?" Jasper asked, his dialect retreating to the age of his birth. He, along with Rosalie and my dear Bella, had began to become frustrated with the lack of information.

"Bella" Emmett began his cliche speech. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore him. "as a new member of our family, there is an initiation you first must pass. I have only one question for you...Truth, or dare?" And with that, the game had begun.


	3. A Sticky Situation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. Don't sue. Please.

fNote: I have just put up a new story called 'Summer of my Soldier'. Please read and let me know what you think!

Education of our Peers

Chapter 3- Sticky Situation

There I sat, my head hung low, wishing I could shrink into nothingness. Embarrassment was an understatement, for I feared that I had lost all that made me deserving of respect, and rightfully so. Happily, I was not the only man here who had suffered humiliation, though not as much as I had, it was still enough to retaliate when the others would try to remind me of this moment. So desperately I wanted to release my hold from the chair, yet my kniving brother had found one adhesive material that would cement anything to our impenetrable skin. Superglue.

It was near to impossible to kill a member of the species I belonged to, regrettably, and yet, a simple chemical compound such as Superglue could pin us down to any sort of wood or metal, or even each other without releasing its grasp. This was the low point. Me, Edward Cullen, holder of two medical degrees, and various certificates from Juliard and Harvard, was glued to a chair. It had been Emmett's turn to assign the dares, and though Alice was giggling furiously, I could not catch a glimpse of what he had in store for my lovely Bella.

"Bella Swan--truth or dare?" He spoke in his annoying, announcer voice. She looked timidly around the room, and settled on the answer I wished was not in existance.

"Dare." My silent heart sank as she answered, and I knew there was no talking her out of it.

"Bella Swan.." Emmett had been interrupted by Rosalie.

"Shut up Emmett and get to the point."

"Alright, alright. Just trying to build up suspense...sheesh. Anyway, Bella. I dare you to..." He smirked at me with an evil grin, and it was then that I knew I was in for it. "Superglue Edward to a folding chair!" Emmett, though an idiot, had chosen the right person to commit this action of humiliation. He had dared Bella to glue me to a chair, not for me to be glued to a chair. Anyone else who had attempted this would have been torn to shreds only to have to spend the time putting themselves back together again. That promise warmed my chilled heart--the prospect of getting back at Emmett.

Bella had erupted into laughter as she was presented with this challenge. My brother gave her two large tubes of the sticky solution, and swung out a plastic chair that had been collecting dust in the garage.

"Go ahead" I told her. "It's the rules. It would be far worse for you not to stick to me to a chair." The words sounded strange coming even from my mouth, and though I had intended to say them, I had not intended for Bella to burst into hysterics. "And what, may I ask, is so funny?"

"It's just that...I mean it's...hearing you say...'glue me to a chair'..." She could barely speak through her giggles.

"Let's just get this over with." I rolled my eyes, and surrendered to the two tubes of Superglue. I stood from the couch on which I sat, and Bella ran trails of glue down my back, the backs of my arms and legs, and finally emptied an entire bottle onto the seat of the chair. I sat on the sticky mess, and within minutes, was adhered to the plastic monstrosity. Due to the fact that there were no arms on the chair, she settled by sticking my arms to my sides and legs. Worse than that even, she had smothered my hands in the composition and stuck them to my knees. It was entirely frustrating for me to know the antidote for the stickiness yet unable to free myself because the hands in which I needed were cemented to my legs.

"It was not required, you know, to bind my limbs to well, myself." I made Bella aware of this.

"It was too good an opportunity to waste." Bella chided. Emmett had brought her over to the dark side, the dark side of putting me out of my element.

"Fine. I look silly. Fine. Bella, your turn." She looked thoughtful for a moment, and continued on with the game.

It was two hours after the end of truth or dare, and after no one had come to my rescue, I decided to free myself by my own means. Breaking loose from the chair was easy; I had walked awkwardly up the stairs into my room, jumped up a few feet, and leaned backward in the air pressing my weight against the chair as I made impact with the floor. Shattered plastic now littered my room, and many pieces were still stuck to the trail of glue on my clothes. The echoing thoughts of my 'loved ones' mocked me in their minds, not making it any easier to concentrate. As I blocked out their thoughts, I continued on with the task of releasing my arms and hands from my sides.

In one swift motion, I yanked my joints in the direction opposite from where they were held prisoner, and my clothes tore off in the motion. After dressing myself with an intact t-shirt and pair of jeans, I began the task of peeling off the threads of clothing that still stuck to my arms and hands with no success. Venturing down into the kitchen in full view of my family members, I searched the refridgerator for limes, lemons, or any other kind of citrus fruit when the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Emmett's booming voice called, though he did not make it to the phone before I did. "Cheater." He mumbled.

"Cullen residence." I answered.

"Good evening, is this Dr. Cullen?" The school principal had mistaken me for my adopted father.

"No, this is Edward. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that the administration and I are really glad that you took this assignment, and look forward to next week." That makes one of us, I thought to myself. "I also wanted to make sure that you and your siblings are prepared with your lesson plans?"

"Yes, we are. May I ask as to your inquiry?"

"Er--yes. You have not heard about the rumors, I assume." This could not be good news. I could feel it.

"Rumors, sir?"

"Yes. There have been--threats of pranks and such against you and your siblings, as well as Miss Swan." Stupid little humans could not relinquish their power over teachers to anyone for one moment without complete disrespect.

"I see. Well, don't you worry, we will sleep with one eye open." I could not stifle the chuckles that built up in my chest as I said this.

"Well, alright. Good to hear that you are prepared."

"Thank you sir."

"Goodnight."

"Goodbye." We hung up, and I worried for the week ahead. I replayed the conversation for Bella, though of course the rest of the Cullens had heard both sides of the phone call.

"What sort of pranks? Have you heard of anything?" Bella's anxious eyes bore into mine, nervousness easily read through the chocolate pixels.

"Surprisingly, no. Alice?" Her tiny face was pulled into a stifled grin, and she was concentrating intently on the space-time continuum theory she had been thinking about lately when she wanted to keep her visions a secret from me.

I was not in acknowledgement of the sights that Alice had seen, but what I did know was, that I was taking my formula of Superglue solvent with me to my classes.


	4. The First Day of Dread

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

Education of our Peers

Chapter 4- The First Day of Dread

The alarm clock struck six, and the nearly silent buzzing ring set us all on alert. Though we normally had no use for an electronic devise in which to wake us from sleep, for sleep did we not, however we found it useful in times where we were unaware of time passing before school began. This morning had brought with the rising of the sun feelings of dread and fear, and we knew that we could not breathe any sigh of relief until Friday had come to an end. Although we did not normally have such strong feelings about the start of a school week as most of the humans did, this week we were forced to defer ourselves from our normal position of student and settle into the new frontier of becoming teachers to our peers.

Groans were released from various rooms in the house, though their mental disappointment and wishes of avoiding the subject was made clear to me.

_Ohhh, not yet. Why is it that these kids keep changing their minds? So indecisive..._ Alice pondered as she fixed her spiky hair.

_Awww...why? Why? Why me? How do I get into these situations..._ Jasper flooded the house with worry, after which he contained himself and apologized to me mentally.

_Why the hell does Jasper have to be such a baby about everything? He's over a hundred and sixty years old, for god's sake. What is the point of this stupid assignment anyway? It's not like we're going to be teachers or anything..._ Rosalie bickered in her mind.

_Sweet! I get to kick those Freshmens' asses at football today! _Emmett's simple thoughts echoed.

_Those poor dears, so stressed out._ Esme thought lovingly.

_Thank goodness they don't have guns..._Carlisle was not as optimistic as to our self control. We would never expose ourselves before the students, but guns were definately tempting... _Don't even think about it Edward..._ He knew me too well, I decided.

I collected my papers and books and stuffed them in my bag, which I then put in my car within seconds, as my siblings did. Drumming my fingers against the dashboard of my Volvo, I banned everyone besides Alice to Rosalie's car, not wanting to panic my dear Bella with the presence of anxiety from Jasper, bluntness of Emmett, and Rosalie's, well, existence. My sister made herself comfortable in the backseat, leaving the passenger side open for Bella. We drove to her house, conversing mentally.

_So..any idea who your 'clients' will be?_

"I was about to ask just that." I replied verbally.

_They have not made any decisions yet, it will sort of be a...walk-ins' welcome sort of thing. Not to worry, how many nuts are there in Forks High anyway?_

"You do not hear the things I have had the displeasure of hearing. The fact that they are supposed to talk about these things with me will make it even worse."

_Why did you sign up for it, then?_

"I didn't realize this until a Freshman girl began plotting to drive herself insane so that I would see her...that in itself is sick."

_I see your point._ I could only help that if she foresaw something going wrong, that there would be time enough to warn me. I doubted it. We rested idly outside the house I had come to love, due to the resident inside. When the time was proper, I walked up to the door, knowing it would not be answered by the police chief for the cruiser was absent from the driveway. Originally, I had decided to knock softly on the door, as usually I did, but I decided to surprise the woman whom I loved, and let myself in silently.

Slinking around the corner, the smell of rancid milk and cereal puffs whirled around a very warm, floral scent. Bella was eating cereal, and to avoid her spilling it all over herself in shock, I waited until the bowl was empty, and I crept behind her. I leaned in above her shoulder, and whispered softly in her ear.

"I still prefer mountain lion, but watching you eat it makes it seem almost appetizing." She jumped, and whipped her head toward me.

"You scared me! Here, eat the cereal!" Bella shoved the bowl near my face, and knowing I deserved it, sipped the bowl clean. The sour, itching taste slid down my throat like sandpaper, making me visibly cringe. She had been joking, of course, but I knew seeing the 'mighty' vampire she thought of as invincible to anything but his own will for blood wince at what she considered breakfast would cheer her up.

"Feeling better?"

"Much." She replied, laughing. I snatched the bowl back, and rinsed it in the sink for her while she collected her things. Once inside my car, she happily greeted Alice who sat cross-legged behind her, and turned off the radio dial. I sped along the road, turning Bella white with fear, and making it to school at record timing. Reluctantly, but promptly, we reported to the office to be escorted to our classes.

Bella and I departed, and one of the counselors allowed me to use the vacant office beside hers. She explained the rules, and showed me how to fill out the paperwork correctly, which was unnsessary even for an average human, for every blank space was labeled with a specific purpose, even the section titled 'notes'. After taking a seat in the leather chair behind the desk, I searched through the minds of students to check on Bella. No such luck.

All that I found were feelings of either sympathy or happiness that we had been sentenced to this week in our personal hell.

A half an hour passed, and my first 'patient' was sent in. It was no other than the relentless Freshmen girl, of whom everyone knew she had a crush on me, and obssesively so. Her hair was frazzled from trying to rip it out, and her eyes were glazed at the sight of me.

_God is he hott, I just want to lather my tongue all over him and..._

"Good morning, what can I do for you?" I interrupted, not wanting to hear more of the indecency this century had brought on.

"Miss Anderson here was a little overwhelmed in her class." A teacher answered for her.

"Is that so? Well, please, have a seat."

_Aww, too bad, there's another chair. Wonder if I could sit on his lap..._ What was her reasoning behind this? Did I look like Santa Claus? I should think not.

"Mkay." She replied verbally, with no formality whatsoever.

"So." I began. "Why don't you start with what happened this morning?"

"Um, yeah, well I thought, we could, you know, get to know each other better before I begin, I mean, I am a little shy.." Shy. Right.

"How about you...tell me about your family. Does your home life cause you stress?" That answer impressed me even; I sounded like a professional shrink.

"My parents...they mean well but...oh, they just don't get me! They are so stupid, they are so bossy, and they..." I tried to tune out her petty complaints, and focused on filling out the paperwork on my clipboard that ached to be tossed into the trash.

"And how does that make you feel?"I had nodded when appropriate, and spoken between her sentences.

_Lonely..._

"Lonely." Her truthful answer surprised me.

"Lonely in what way?" I severely regretted asking that question a moment later.

_Lonely in the 'I need Edward Cullen' way..._

"Well, I am single, did you know that?" Hmph. I knew what she was getting at, and there was no way around it.

"No, I did not."

_Say goodbye to your man, Bella Swan..._ That angered me greatly.

"Well, I am, and guys just don't seem to understand me, they use me for looks and for their friends." Lies, all lies. "Do you know anyone that could help me?"

"I really shouldn't be telling you this, you know, patient-doctor, er, student confidentiality, but Mike Newton has a thing for you...only he likes it when girls are secretive, and you know, eye him from across the room, and such." Revenge was sweet, and not only would I get back at Newton for being such a creep, but it would get Anderson out of my hair.

"Really? Mike Newton?"

_I could definitely live with that, besides, Edward will go crazy with jealousy. I wonder where Mike lives..._

"Yes. Now, maybe it's best if you get back to class."

"Alright. Thanks _Dr._ Cullen."

_I would love to play Dr. with that..._

"Thank you, goodbye." With that, I nearly slammed the door in her face, frightened of what I might hear next.

Hours and class periods passed, and I had no other clients the rest of the day, except for that is, my brother. It was the beginning of fourth period, the time I knew as Jasper's free period. I had just made myself comfortable when he came bursting into my office.

"Jasper? What's wrong with you?" The shock had erased any trace of politeness.

"Everything. You got a minute?"

"Sure. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to _talk_ about it."

_Very funny, you read minds. Original. I don't want to think about it either. Let me lay on the ugly couch here, and let me rot in peace. By the way, we will be needing more Superglue solvent._

"Why is that?"

_Not thinking about it. How did things go with you?_

"You don't want to know."

_Sorry man. At least we are all suffering though. Rosalie got her hair caught in a sewing machine._

"How did she manage that? It has been a while since she last sewed, but really?"

_A student, male student, wanted a 'better look' and 'mistook' her hair for thread. He fed it into the spool when she leaned over, and she could not stand up straight. She wore that red shirt again._ The 'red' shirt was code for low cut, and tight. That made me feel a lot better. _Glad to see you have a sense of humor. _He lay there for the remainder of the period, and left only minutes before necessary.

_Thanks Edward, good luck with the other nuts who hear voices in their head._

"Thanks. Bye Jasper." I said, sarcastically.

_One last thing, Alice says we won't need to buy toilet paper for a while._ That puzzled me, for what did we need toilet paper anyway? He did not stay long enough, but I felt the bubble of calm fade as he did.

The final bell struck, releasing us from our prison. My first day had not been as hard as I had made it out to be, and except for the incident this morning, had gone by without anything going wrong. It had not been nearly as pleasant for the others, however, and knew that their attitudes would not help at all.

After dropping Bella at her house, we raced home. Alice had a grin plastered on her face, and was translating the U.S. constitution into Icelandic. She knew something, and had intended to keep it a secret. A secret from everyone, except perhaps, from Jasper...

Our white mansion was even brighter with another addition of white. Apparently, the students in one of our classes had been less than thrilled, and long strands of toilet paper streamed across the roof and was stuck to the twiggy branches of the trees. The school day had just ended, and knowing that the perpetrators had skipped school, of which there would be a record kept, I decided that if no clients were going to come to me, I would simply _bring_ them to me.

I knew not of their identities, but I knew that they would regret the day that they TP'd the Cullens...


	5. A Historical Low Point

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

Education of our Peers

Chapter 5- A Historical Low Point

The school where I had once been a mere student, loomed over me, casting a feeling of dread and tension over me. As I made my way up the steps and into the office, no thought felt more comforting to me than the promise of the ending of this hellish week. After being assigned to a Freshmen U.S. History class, I made my way slower than the average human to the class. I set my bag down on the chair behind the teacher's desk which had been cleared for me. An ancient computer hummed softly, and looked as if it had mere weeks in the rest of its lifespan. A large whiteboard was nailed to the wall behind the desk, and a chalkboard stood on the wall to the right of the desk, on the same side as the door.

No colored paper was taped to the walls, and no posters were tacked to the blank bulletin board. If it weren't that I had taken this class four years earlier in this exact classroom, I would have deemed it inhospitable. The smell of sterile cleaning products reeked from the desks and floor, and three bottles of Lysol lined the trashcan. It was obvious that the teacher normally assigned to these students would be the least likely to desire kids of his own. This man probably had to be the man whom students threw at the most pies at the fundraisers, and had the most un-flattering cartoons of him sketched in the backs of spiral notebooks.

I set my books out on the desk, and my face cringed as the bell the would begin the day rang through my ears. I turned on the computer, and waited patiently for it to start up. I re-read the notes I planned to give, and though they were memorized, it gave me an excuse to pass the time so as I would not have to painfully watch the individual students walk through the door. The fluttering of two distinct heartbeats scorched the back of my throat, and the scents of earthy blood swarmed my nostrils. Temptation smothered my aching lungs, and as my knees bent into a crouch, I ceased my breathing. Moving my shoulders up and down as if I were still taking in air, I paced silently behind my desk, repeating the names of the family that counted on me.

_Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice...Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice..._

The second bell peirced through the rythem of my steps, and drawing in one long breath, began the lesson.

"Good day, my name is Mr. Hale, and I will be teaching your U.S. History class this week." As I began to write my name in Expo pen on the board, a crumpled up peice of paper hit me in the back of my head, and as I saw it fall behind me out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the dent of my head in the crumpled lined paper ball. _Thank god no one saw that..._ I thought to myself. Instead, I held up the paper, and tossed it in the can without thinking twice. As I turned around to face the thirty students before me, another ball of the same diameter hit me in the forehead, causing eruptions of laughter from the students.

My eyes searched the room for the perpetrator, and quickly settled on the kid in the far back who was more arrogant than any other I had seen. Having already memorized the seating chart, I decided to surprise him by calling him by his full name.

"Jonathon, is it? Jonathon Smith?" He turned his head toward me with an arrogant smirk.

"Jon, and don't wear it out." Yes, very original. Not a cliche in the slightest.

"Well, Jon, may I ask as to why you decided to throw paper at me?" I made my eyes narrow, attempting to appear as stern as their normal teacher, but will little effect.

"Why do you think it was me? Can you prove it?" He leaned back in his chair as he spoke, crossing his arms across his chest. I stepped closer toward the class, mere feet away from the boy.

"Fine. This time, you get away with a warning. Next time, I am writing you down for a detention when Mr. Brimes gets back." Jon scoffed at this, and as I took an automatic breath, my throat was ablaze in thirst. I could almost feel my eyes darkening, and adrenaline pulsing through my dead body. The scent given off by the little prick was hypnotizing. Though it was not as tempting as Bella's floral scent, this blood than ran through his veins was thick, and was the sort of scent that you could never forget.

Exhaling, I tried to concentrate on other matters. My eyes were closed for only a moment, but in that second before they flashed open a cartoon had been scrawled in chalk across the blackboard. It showed a stick figure hanging from a noose, and was labeled 'loser'. Though that was the furthest thing from my name, it could be in refrence to no other. "Miss Klein, please erase that." I asked the sweet-seeming girl who sat close to the board. I knew her innocence, but knew that she would be happy to do so.

"Now, as I was saying, I was told that you were studying the Civil War. Being a southerner myself, I decided we would focus on the Confederate side today, to gain a better understanding of what the Union was up against." I began to write the title of the day's notes below my name when I heard the nearly inaudible whispers generating from the center of the room.

"What an idiot."

"I know. What's this with the Confederacy, anyway? You don't think he's like, a white supremacist or something?"

"Probably is. Whatever, stupid South lost. No wonder, if these were the kind of people in their army.." That set me over the edge. I strode silently toward their desk, with a look of rage on my face. It was for the better that the Union won, there was no doubt. There was still, however, a nerve that was touched when I was called a coward. These insignificant humans had no idea the sorts of horrors I had seen and been forced to commit. If they had even the slightest idea of the smallest crime under my belt, they would be terrified to even look me in the eye, no less insult me.

As I leaned over their desks, the first boy, of course, was Jon. When realization struck that I had in fact, heard their nearly silent whispers, they looked slowly up at me, with a hint of shock readable in their eyes. For any human this conversation would never have reached their ears, no less be understood enough to form words and sentences. They paused in their insults, waiting for me to speak.

"No, please, don't allow me to interrupt you. I am highly interested in what you were saying. Continue." They were silent. "I am not asking. Tell me what you said!"

"Uh, uh nothing Mr. Hale."

"That's what I thought. As I was saying..." I continued on with the lesson, and my head was free from paper balls or airplanes. Other students criticized me, though only in my teachings and not in my character. Twenty minutes later, I had assigned them to read the first section of the chapter, and answer the questions. As I began to sit in my chair, giggles escaped the lips of the entire class. I looked around the room, meeting their eyes, searching for truth, and sat without another word. However, something peculiar happened as I sunk into my seat. The giggles had vanished into awe, and fear. They had been expecting something, obviously, and as I looked at Jon and his friend, their souls emitted guilt and traces of terror.

Standing, I looked down onto the chair. A tack had been set with the pointed side up where I had sat. Where the metallic pin had once stood straight, it was now crumbled and bent flat against the red plastic back, which also was crinkled from my weight. I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine, and an extra dose of respect. My fingers gingerly held onto what remained of the tack, and held it above my head .

"You insult me. Next time, please be more original." I announced with a smirk on my face. After that incident, I was given no other problems. Or at least, from my first period. Their tiny footsteps padded quickly against the linoleum floor as they raced out, eagerly escaping the Senior boy who could bend a tac by sitting on it, absent from pain or even discomfort.

My next class entered slowly, and from the hum outside, I recognized the scent and sound of the troublemaker before.

"I am telling you, the tack didn't work. We have to try something else."

"Like what? What's worse than a tack?"

"Got any gum?"

"Yeah, why...oh. I see. See you at lunch." Jon had been conspiring with another friend, and though I knew of the substance that would be their next weapon, I knew not of the plan in which they intended to use it. Only time and disobedience would tell. These next students were much like the first; wary and unsuspecting I started the class as I had before, this time without interruption. Perhaps this new troublemaker would back out of his plans, and for that was what I hoped. Gum was not something I enjoyed, neither in taste nor in stickiness, for it was almost as bad as Superglue.

Remembering the sight of Edward being glued to a chair in the weekend previous to this, I stifled a chuckle, making my students look at me with confused expressions as to why I was laughing. So they thought of me as weird, a freak, maybe even, but at least there were no instances of paper throwing or tac placing. I would soon be proven wrong.

After writing the answers back up on the whiteboard, I felt a wad of sticky, wet, solution hit me in my hair. Though I could not see it, I knew it would be pink, the color of bubblegum. My fingers wound around the disgusting glob, and tried, unsuccesfully to pull it out. Being a vampire, and technically dead, my hair would not grow. There was no way I cutting this much hair off, and I was intent on two things, one, pulling this crap out of my hair, and two, getting back at whoever did this.

"Who did this?!" I yelled. Guilt flowed from a seat in the front, and by measuring the angle and distance with my eyes, was the probable origin of the gum. I stomped toward the kid known as Jason, and leaned my face an inch from his, as they did in the modern day military. "Was it you?" My voice was low and threatening, and I could feel my irises darkening from gold into onyx.

"N-n-n..."

"Did you, or didn't you?" Reaching inside my memory, I withdrew all the terrifying images and scenes that haunted me eternally, and pulsed the fear that built up into my chest directly in front of me to the unfortunate soul who threw the gum into my hair.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry! I am really sorry M-M-Mr. Hale." I could swear tears were building up in his frightened eyes.

"Detention. And you are lucky if it isn't worse!" Anger flooded through me, and unknowingly released it into the atmosphere.

"Bite me!" He spat at me as I began to stride back toward my desk. If only he knew how much I wanted to, how much I wanted to feel his beating pulse beneath my tongue, how much I wanted to end his life in my clutches.

"I don't eat junk food." I simply answered, and though the class did not respond, I took that as a good thing. When the bell rang, the class stayed sitting as I asked. "Dismissed." They jogged out of the room faster than the class before them, terrified of the teacher who threatened to eat a student. Great. Another conversation hit my ears as I tried to pull out sticky pink pieces of gum out from the back of my head, this time, with the one known as Jason and another companion.

"He is a frickin' cannibal, man. I thought he was gonna suck my blood or something. Anyway, don't use the stapler."

"What should I use then?"

"Anything sticky." My silent heart fell as the word 'sticky' crossed my ears. I shoved my hand into my pocket, and found a bottle of lime solvent that Edward had made. I doubted I would have to use it, but it was better just to have. I was wrong. The end of third period, and like my brother before me, was glued to my own chair. When my back was turned, they emptied an entire bottle on the seat, sticking me to the wood. After they left, I poured the Superglue solvent underneath me, making the seat of my pants darker than the rest with glue and liquid. Great. Utterly fantastic. My stress level was a historical high, and I decided to use my free period to pay visit to my dear brother.

The first day, and I had already sat on a tack, had gum wedged in my hair, and was glued to my chair. This was going to be worse than I had predicted.


	6. Hell for the Damned

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters

Education of our Peers

Chapter 6- Hell for the Damned

Why me? Why us? Why, why, why oh why did we get forced into situations like this? This sort of thing did not happen to me, I was the sort of person who got only what they wanted and nothing more, and it was unclear to me why it had to change so suddenly. It was bad enough that I had been through high school more times than I could count and yet I was a senior, yet again, but why must we become student _teachers_? We were not the sort to become teachers, and that had been for the better.

I walked down the halls at a rapid pace for humans, twirling my blond hair in my fingers. My eyes searched for the Home Eq. room, and I readjusted my shirt. I had worn my favorite red blouse that had a deep v-neck, and was form fitting to my hips. Tight, dark blue jeans rested firmly at my hips, skin tight to my ankles. The red ballet flats that cost me more than the average savings of a twenty-year old mutely patted the vinyl floor as I approached the door. Stepping inside the overly-decorated room, my golden eyes scanned the classroom; the sewing machines that stood on every desk, the spools of thread that lined the back wall, the knitted blanket that hung behind them, and the ceiling tiles that were stapled with the crafts of the past.

I groaned at the Martha Stewart-style room, and sat behind the desk that was covered with a white tablecloth. After opening my bag, I pulled my books out and set them on top of the desk. Flipping through my schedule, I began to organize my thoughts when the bell rang. Floods of girls and select few boys entered the room, all with wary expressions. I knew that they doubted me, and I could not care less. What had I to prove to these insignificant humans? Not bothering to withhold these feelings from my face, I took my place before the rows of wooden desks and scribbled my name on the board behind me.

"Um, yeah hi, I'm uh, Rosalie--er--Miss Hale. So, yeah, this is your class, and well, we will be learning how to thread the machines. Any, uh, questions?" I sounded like a complete dumbass, but I didn't really care. It was their faults that I was here, and as god as my witness, they were going to pay. The room fell silent, and I continued on. "Well, you need thread. You have thread on your desks. First, unroll it about the length of your arm, cut it by the spool, and then tuck the end beneath the metal clasp." They made no response. "I am not talking to hear the sound of my voice, do it!"

Rattles were emitted from the room as they rummaged around their desks, whispering quietly to their friends, all of which I had overheard.

"She has no idea what she's doing."

"She's such a slut, I mean who wears _that_ to school?"

"Hale is rich enough, she should be able to afford clothes that actually fit!"

"Why did she have to wear that today? Matt will never notice me now!"

That did it. If it weren't enough that I already resented these little monsters for existing in a world where I had to teach them, but calling me a skank? This was far from over. Walking past my desk, I glanced at the seating chart, searching for the name of Matt. Finding the object of my search, I came upon a plan.

The girl who had said this to her friend was the epitome of bitch, even more so than me. She continuously flipped her dull, black hair that had numerous split ends that she tried to cover, her legs were crossed and covered in skin tight skinny jeans. Dark browns Uggs warmed her feet, and a bright pink long sleeve shirt left little to the imagination. She could not be considered pretty, for her face was smeared with compact and blush, hiding any natural beauty if it was present at all. She had money, not rich, but had a large enough bank account to never wear the same outfit twice, yet one thing she always wore was a face of jealousy, and evil.

Taking long, luxurious steps, I was pleased to find that the one known as Matt had tangled himself in thread, navy blue lines streaking across his face and arms. Though I was a married woman, it was clear to me why little miss fried-hair had her eye on him. Dirty blond hair hung around his face, contrasting with his deep brown eyes. His name had been the subject of many gossipers before, and it was widely known that he was one of the hottest boys in the Freshmen class. It was almost too easy.

I bent over his desk, without shame in the deep v-neck that revealed my chest. My fingers snapped through the thin thread, as any average human could easily do, and as I did, I subtly stroked my finger tips through his hair, bringing his eyes to me. I could hear his pulse begin to race, and nearly microscopic beads of sweat began to emerge from his skin on his forehead.

"Here, let me help you." I spoke sweetly, shooting a glare at the overly made up girl a few rows away, her eyes nearly turning red with her rage. Not nearly being done with my revenge, I set my hand behind his head, and leaned my body in further to Matt, slowly unwinding the blue fibers cutting into his skin. The heart that beat within his chest thumped furiously, and even the humans could tell how his hormones were racing. Poor kid. "See, that's better." As my hand drew closer back toward me, my palm glided across his cheek, sending shivers of both chills and cold down his spine.

As I strutted back toward my desk, I saw the bitchy girl glare at me with every ounce of rage and hostility in her body. Checking my seating chart, I found her name was Siara. It was known throughout the school that there was one thing Matt and Siara had in common--that of lack of intelligence or at least, grades above C's or D's. She snarled, her upper lip tensing and her nose crinkling, contorting her face into that of overly-polished ugliness. Some people would have felt bad for her, but I was not one of them.

"Alright, now that you have your thread, wrap the end around the, uh, curvy thing...look it up in your book." It was stupid of me not to look it up myself the night before, but all I concentrated on was my next plan of action. "Hmm, Siara, would you like to tell the class how you thread the machine?" She glared at me once more, and when I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow, she realized that I was serious.

"Umm, I don't know."

"Two points off of participation for the day." I tapped the keys on the computer, making it so.

"What?" She nearly screamed. "Why?"

"You were supposed to look up the answer. Look here, Matt has the page open to the right spot and everything." Backing up toward his desk across the room from the bratty Siara, my fingers slid through the pages, opening the textbook to the chapter about sewing machines.

"That is such a stupid question! You didn't even give us enough time!"

"Are you asking for a detention?" This started to get on my nerves.

"Go ahead. You won't actually do it."

"Watch me." Her eyes widened in shock as my fingers dragged the pen across the detention slip. As I said before, it was almost too easy. After I handed the slip to her, I continued the lesson. Ten minutes later, machines were threaded and students were practicing on materials. Gracefully walking over to Matt, I bent over his desk as I did before, but not without a glance at the fuming Siara. I caught his eyes locked on my chest, exactly what my intention had been.

"Do you need any help?" I cooed.

"N-n-not really. I just, uhhh...need to uhhh...re-thread the uhh...thingy."

"Well, would you like to show me how you do that?" He gulped audibly, and worked his fingers around the machine. My hair swept over the machine, and for some reason, a grin began to appear on his face, the sort of creepy smile on perverts and guys looking for girls on the corners. Suddenly uncomfortable, I tried to stand back up straight, only to be stopped short. With my body still a mere foot from the fourteen-year old's face, I found myself trapped before him. Gazing at the sewing machine in horror, I found the strands of my long, golden hair inserted into the threaded part of the machine.

"You threaded my hair!! How dare you!" My fingers flew around the machine, trying to wring myself free without shattering the various plastics and metals that any normal human would not even be able to dent. The class erupted into laughter, and Matt did not free himself from staring. "Turn away, you little pig!" Covering myself with a peice of scrap cloth, the bell rang its shrill song, releasing me from my prison, at least, mentally. "Go on, get out!" The Freshmen leaked out of the class, and thankfully, I had only two other classes the rest of the day, and had the next period off.

Trying very hard not to rip my beautiful hair out of the machine, or break the contraption, I collected the little bit of dignity I had left, and strode down to the nurse's office with the sewing machine held up high by my head. Stepping inside, the elderly nurse took one look at me and rolled her eye. At first, she came to me with scissors. "No, you are not cutting my hair. It doesn't grow!" She did not know how literal that was.

"Calm down, deary. I have delt with this before. When I was a little girl, I played with my mother's old sewing machine back in the thirties, and caught my hair in it too. I never heard of anyone doing it with the modern ones, though. Hmm." She trailed off, lost in memory lane as she opened up the machine, and began pulling out the strands of my hair from its grasp. Ironic, it seemed. The first sewing machine I had ever used caught everyone's hair...oh well. There was probably no relation.

Half an hour of relentless tugging later, I was freed. My hair was nearly a crisp, but it was free. The rest of the day, I kept my distance, and put on a jacket. I had assigned the busy work that I had previously thought up, and in case Edward was near, thought to myself.

_See, this is what happens when you try to give a crap. Laziness pays off. Besides, what kind of a shrink hears voices in his own head?_

As the final bell rung, I knew there was only one thing that could make my nearly perfect life a living hell, so to speak. Teaching. I hated children, and they hated me. Maybe it was destined that I was not a mother, for if I could let those juvenile things irritate me so as they did, how could I be a parent? This realization struck my core, and I knew that this was what I was meant for. No one needed to be punished enough to be my child.


	7. Fire and Water

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

Education of our Peers

Chapter 7- Fire and Water

Departing from Edward with a kiss on his stone lips, he whispered a promise to me that I could not keep, and he knew that better than I could, although I knew it better than I knew my own name, or the lessons I prepared.

"Be safe, my love."

"I can't guarantee it, but I'll try."

"Please see that you do." His thumb brushed my cheek, sending hot blood rushing to my face. A faint smile appeared on his lips, and he disappeared into the counseling office. With that, I was left alone to teach a group of twenty Freshemen. Though twenty was not a significant number, it was more than enough to take me out of my element, setting up the perfect scene for me to make a fool out of myself. Unlocking the classroom door and walking toward the desk, I drank in my surroundings.

Ten desks that were the same as the ones in the Biology classes had two seats pushed underneath them, and each had a hot plate on top of them. Beneath the desks, power outlets had the power cords plugged into them for the heating trays, and each had a number taped to the surface. Shelves lined the white walls, each filled with pots and pans labelled with the same numbers. Cookbooks stood atop the bookshelf in the back, and the whiteboard behind the desk was stained with marks of pen forming letters of recipes and seasonings.

Familiarizing myself with the classroom that was temporarily mine, I strolled through the aisles of the desks, reading the names scratched into the surface, and the doodles written in both ink and pencil, allowing myself a glimpse of the characters of these students. I wished very much at this moment that Edward was with me, for it seemed that although I felt severely average in his presence, the fact that he stood beside me not only calmed me, but made all else seeem insignificant and superficial.

If my love had stood beside me here, I would not have felt the enormity of the importance of this assignment. The only thing that truly mattered in this world to me was the vampire I had come to love, and without him, my perspective was utterly, as he called it, human. I know understood his perspective without obscurity. When James had been hunting me, all that mattered was life and death, as it should be, yet here, I was trialed against something as trivial as teaching a class of fourteen year olds. When I was with my Edward, I felt like I could see through the golden eyes of the vampires I loved. Without him, I was just another human. With that, my heart panged, for it was true, the only thing interesting about me was him, and it was not fair in the least.

Pushing these feelings aside, I became obssesive over 'human' priorities and settled my lesson plans. The bell shot through my ears, and students walked nervously into the room. As it turned out, not only the junior class was aware of my lack of grace, and being near flaming appliances that could set the entire school ablaze was no comfort to them or myself. Perhaps I shoiuld have taught English, assigned homework that required students only to read, leaving me no papers to grade, and at the end of the week some one page essay about a cliche topic often debated upon in Romeo and Juliet.

_Damn._ I thought to myself, it could all have been so easy. It was too late now, for the kids had taken their seats and I was supposed to start.

"Hello, everyone." I started mumbling softly, and as I thought about Edward became louder in my speech. At least he could be with me in my mind...figuratively at least. "My name is Be--Miss Swan, and I will be your teacher." They stared at me with strange looks, expecting more from me. "Today, we will be cooking pasta, something simple the first day. Um, raise your hand if you can make pasta already." No hands were raised. Great. "Um, alright, no problem." I lied. This was going to be a long day. "Have one of your partners go to the shelf and take the pot with your number on it, and fill it halfway with water from the sink in the back." Stalling time, this was good.

After ten minutes of rushing water and clamoring pots, the students returned silently to their seats. At least there would be no talking issues, I thought to myself. "Put the pot on the heating tray, and turn the dial on high until the water starts to boil." The class did as told, and I smiled in accomplishment. Maybe this would not be so bad as I had made it out to be. Maybe.

A girl in the back raised her hand, as she and her partner looked around nervously at the heating tray. The girl with her hand raised had light, shiny blond hair that ended about four inches from her shoulder, partially obscuring the navy blue t-shirt she wore underneath her gray hoodie. Her eyes were a dark, gray blue, and widened in intimidation from the equipment her partner searched with her eyes. The second girl was utterly the opposite from the first; her hair was a dark brown, nearly black, as were her eyes. She had a friendly look about her face, which was reflected by the light pink shirt she wore that had smiley faces all over the front. Looking at the seating chart, I quickly found their names.

"Yes, Jenna, do you have a question?"

"Um, yeah" she said somewhat quietly. "We don't know how to turn the uh, thingy on." Well, eighteen out of twenty was still good, and no one had been lit on fire yet. As I strode toward the girls, my first wrapped around a backpack that laid in the aisle, tripping me with impressive force. My hand reached out to the first solid thing I could find, and unfortunately, it happened to be a pot of warm water. Thankfully, it did not burn me, but the tap water had spilled all over me, darkening my jeans and shirt with the wetness. The right side of my hair was soaked, and water cascaded down my face. The two girls before me winced, and got a towel for me from the back room.

"Thanks." I said to them. "Sorry, what is your name again?" My clumsiness had not allowed me to retain their names. The blond girl pointed to herself, and then introduced her friend.

"I'm Jenna, and this is Meena." The girl known as Meena waved rapidly, and her hyperness showed though she was still seated. She reminded me of a younger, taller Alice, which made me like the girl instantly.

"Thanks again. Now, what was your question?"

"We can't turn the heating thing on." This time Meena was the one to answer it.

"Okay, well there should be a knob at the front, that says low, medium, and high."

"It must be this one, only the numbers are melted off." Jenna pointed at the side.

"Okay, twist it all the way to the right." Nothing happened. Suddenly, the smell of gas seemed to come from the burner that was to the left of the heating tray.

"Oh wait, here it is." Jenna found the knob to the heating tray, and knowing what little I did about heating, I knew the knob was on the wrong side for the tray.

"No Jenna don't!" I yelled, but I was too late. She had turned on the gas, and then the igniter. While the gas built up around the air, the igniter released a fireball into the room, curling into a ball and ending in a puff of black smoke that completely covered the two girls. Checking myself for burns, I was relieved to know that I was not hurt. Jenna and Meena on the other hand, were not so lucky. Their faces were black with smoke, and their lungs coughed relentlessly.

"I..." cough. "...am..." cough. "so..." cough. "sorry." Jenna spat out. For reasons that were easily explained, I saw a lot of myself in her, specifically the day that I not only hit myself but Mike Newton in the head with the badminton racket. It was as if Jenna and Meena were another version of Alice and I, only both of them were human.

The two apologize to me and to each other continously, and I sent them to the nurse's office, asking for them to go to Dr. Cullen and get their lungs checked out at the hospital. They agreed, and I did not think that his looks would turn them away.

The rest of the period went by with little tumult, except for a few trips and falls, but the water was boiled and pasta was made. It was exciting to see how the students' eyes widened in success with the makings of their first meal, even something as simple as pasta. They were becoming independent, and that sort of freedom that I could not live without, was just beginning to emerge in their lives.

The bell rang, and I strolled through the school during my two free periods before my next class. I was overwhelmed with the completion and success of my first class, even with the near-explosion, selfishly because _I_did not cause it, and un-selfishly because the two girls I had come to admire were unscathed. Every passing minute, I debated with myself whether or not I should see Edward, but finally decided against it, seeing as he must have numerous patients, what with the Cullens and myself as teachers. Sure enough, during second period, I was sitting in my desk when I could have sworn I had seen Rosalie through the window in my door.

Her head was held high, and a sewing machine was held by her ear as her golden hair spilled over and, could it be _in_it? After she passed, I giggled, seeing the perfection that was Rosalie stuck to a sewing machine, and that she did not know I had seen. I would have to tell Alice and Edward later, though they both probably knew before I did. No matter, I enjoyed it all the same. I had never been amused by other's misery, but she was so perfect, she had to suffer sometime. And with that, I felt guilty. If my life would become the fantasy I hoped it would be, Rosalie Hale would be my sister-in-law. I had to be cordial.

I pulled out my book from my bag, and began the story of Wuthering Heights once more, laughing when Mr. Lockwood was nearly mauled by dogs. Two hours passed, and my next and second to last class filed in. Wary students were these not, and they were laughing and pushing with no care at all to the dangers in this room. This was my punishment for having an easier class before. These would surely be the tormentors. Today, to my surprise, they were fairly good, though with numerous times I had asked them to be quiet, many of them had made pasta, and needed little instruction.

It was stressful, however, and a difficult task to keep them quiet, and focused, but it was do-able. By the end of the day, I had never been so happy to see Edward. As the final bell struck, relief poured through my system, and this time it was not because of Jasper, but in spite of him. As it turns out, he had to pay Edward a visit during the day. His fingers never left his hair; moving through it so quickly that his alabaster fingers were nearly invisible as he pulled out the pieces of gum.

Edward and I said little to the other, less than anxious we were to re-live those moments, for I believe he had it worse than I did. One thing he did say, which puzzled me, was if I had ever been 'TP'd'...


End file.
